What is EMDR?
EMDR stands for Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing. It is a non-traditional psychotherapy approach developed in the late 1980s by Francine Shapiro, PhD, an American psychologist.
What is EMDR Therapy used for?
EMDR walks an individual through traumatic memories while focusing on an external stimulus so that the individual may be able to process the traumatic memory in a manner that minimises distress. Because many who have become addicted to drugs or alcohol have experienced some sort of traumatic events in their life. EMDR is now regularly used at treatment centres.
– Alcohol addiction
– Personality disorders
– Anxiety
– Phobias
– Body dysmorphia
– Physical abuse
– Drug addiction
– PTSD
– Eating disorders
– Sexual abuse
– Grief
– Stress
– Panic attacks
What do EMDR therapy sessions actually look like?
– History and Treatment Planning – The EMDR therapist and the patient discuss medical history and work together to pinpoint any relevant traumatic events that maybe targeted.
– Preparation – The paint is briefed on the EMDR process, become familiar with bilateral stimulation (BLS) techniques and other introductory information.
– Assessment – The patient is guided to identify specific components of the traumatic memory to focus on. Patient chooses a negative cognition and identifies a positive, empowering cognition in relation to the event. A baseline of emotional response is established.
– Desensitisation – Patient is instructed to focus on the negative memory while simultaneously engaging in back and forth eye movement and other forms of BLS. This activity will continue until the patient reports having zero emotional responses to the memory.
– Installation – The negative cognition is replaces by the positive cognition that was chosen earlier in the process. Positive cognition is strengthened and is “installed” into the patient.
– Body Scan – Patient is asked to recall the traumatic memory again and identify any evidence of residual physical tension or lingering stress. If the memory still causes a negative response, step 4 is repeated.
– Closure – This step effectively ends the EMDR session and may differ depending on whether or not the target memory was processes successfully.
– Re-evaluation – The therapist will re-evaluate distress levels and positive cognition. If the last session was incomplete, step 4 is restarted. The cycle is sustained until patient achieves success.
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